This invention relates to a network scanner apparatus connected for user in a network and a recording medium for recording a program used for the apparatus.
In the conventional scanner apparatus, an image data signal read by a scanner apparatus is once transmitted to a personal computer (hereinafter may be referred to as a PC) that is locally connected via an interface device such as SCSI.
Subsequently, the image data signal is transmitted from one PC to another PC and then is transmitted therefrom via a network by the use of a file transmission application.
Recently, a data signal transmission/reception is carried out widely via a network, such as, a LAN (Local Area Network) and an Internet.
Under this circumstance, a variety of suggestions have been made about network scanner apparatus for transmitting the image data signal via the network in the image scanner apparatus, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (JP-A) No. Hei. 10-150464.
Such network scanner apparatus transmits a readout image data signal into a mail server, and the PC receives the image data signal from the mail server. The data transmission has been thus realized in the conventional example.
The mail server is arranged between the scanner apparatus and the PC. Consequently, omission is made about a process in which the image data signal is once transmitted to the PC which is locally connected, and then is sent to another PC to be transmitted therefrom. Herein, it is to be noted that the above-mentioned conventional process was a cause of a problem.
However, in the conventional network scanner apparatus, it is essential for the mail server to be arranged inside the network and the network scanner apparatus is not applicable for a network environment in which the mail server is not being provided.
Even when the network scanner apparatus has been introduced into the network environment in which the mail server is arranged to operate an electronic mail, the following problems are unavoidable.
(1) The image data signals readout from a normal electronic mail and the scanner are received in non-uniform states. In consequence, the network scanner apparatus is unsuitable for a user who deals with the image data signals in a separation state.
(2) The sail server must be set for the network scanner, and an additional mail account must be made.
(3) When the image data signal having a larger amount of data in comparison with the electronic mail are being transmitted and received, a higher load is applied for the mail server and brings the mail server down.
Even when the mail server is not brought down, this condition is generally unsuitable for a system administrator who manages the mail server.
Herein, disclosure has been made about a technique for directly transmitting the image data signal without using the server apparatus, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei. 1101-127298.